Dumb drawknife question

[Lucasade]

Sharp yes, good not sure how to tell...

[lenador]

Generally running your finger perpendicular across the cutting edge give you a basic idea based on how it feels which I guess is kind of hard to describe. Then there is the hair test. See you you can shave hair off with it.

[PatM]

You may want to look at some videos of a drawknife in use. You have to "hack" with it a bit to get it to bite into the wood.
 It seems like you are thinking it's like using a cheese slicer.
 I'm surprised people use them with the bevel the wrong way. It's just not designed for that as you can tell by the handle feel if it's reversed.
 I guess that's not as bad as arguing that it's ONLY supposed to be used with the bevel down. I've heard that a few times.

[Lucasade]

I think you may have nailed my problem Pat - thank you!